KSC Book 4: The Fortress of Perpetual Sorrow
by OMNISENSE95
Summary: Somewhere within the walls of Castle Oblivion, Ashura, and the newly transformed Dr. Eggman will locate the fourth keystone... while Aqua hopes to finally awaken Ven from his slumber. But can Terra and Aqua overcome the sad memories tied to thier old home?
1. Before We First Met

**Behold, the fourth installment of Keystone Chronicles: The Fortress of Perpetual Sorrow. And yes, I did get the inspiration for the title from the film "Joyful Noise". I saw it a few days ago, and I absolutely loved it! Especially the ending, so emotional. Anyway, this first chapter will use Terra's POV, seeing as how I started the previous installment with Aqua's narrative. Also, I only own Clockspine, Aaron, Virxels, this incarnation of Ashura, the OC that will appear later in this installment, and most, if not all, original keyblades. Sonic the Hedgehog is copyright to Sega, Kingdom Hearts is copyright to Square Enix and Disney, Pokémon is copyright to Nintendo, Jak and Daxter is copyright to NaughtyDog, so on and so forth. So, prepare yourselves for epic character development.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**Before We First Met**

Sora, Sonic, Vanitas, Aqua and I stood there, in front of the depressing castle that, at one point, had been the world I called home. Castle Oblivion, formerly the Land of Departure, loomed in the dark expanse behind it, as if holding it back by sheer presence.

It pained me to be back here again, considering how I was the only one who witnessed the Land of Departure's destruction, watching helplessly as the once majestic palace was reduced to ruins, from which Aqua would construct this stronghold. It was here… that I had to watch Master Eraqus… the closest thing I ever had to a father… die.

It was more than anyone should have to bear in their entire lives, and I felt all of it in the space of a few minutes that day.

I watched Aqua slowly approach the castle doors, apprehensive of the traps I'm assuming she laid inside. After all, even if she's the only one who knows how to navigate the castle, it's only common sense to put in some defensive measures. I walked over to stand next to her, pushing the right hand door open while she opened the left. Almost as soon as both ends where open, a swarm of Stroke Psychopaths leapt out at the five of us.

"THESE are those Psychopaths things you told me about!" I asked Aqua.

"Uh-huh."

All five of us summoned our keyblades, and swiped away at the oncoming swarm.

Despite the large amount of time I have spent as an empty suit of Cardinite (the alloy from which keyblade armor is made), my fighting style had naturally come back to me during my battle with Xehanort alongside Riku, so I fared well. Sonic was the least experienced with swords out of all five of us, but it seemed to me that he had some first-hand experience with a blade, and could hold his own with his weapon. His fighting style used the same centerpiece as Ven; pure speed.

Between the five of us, the Strokes were finished in almost no time at all. I kept Ends of the Earth in my hand as we entered Castle Oblivion and approached the doors at the end of the entrance hall. As I watched her, I couldn't help but wonder… of all the possible designs to change the Land to Departure to, why do this?

Sora, Sonic, and Vanitas proceeded into the next room, but Aqua and I stayed behind in the entrance hall for a while to talk in private. There was something I had to ask her, and it seemed to me that she already knew what I was about to say.

"This castle… hollow and forgotten… it's what my childhood felt like," She said before I could even open my mouth. It was right about then that I realized that she and I never exchanged backstories.

"You see… I lived a privileged life before I took up the keyblade. My parents ran a highly successful business, and times were good. But, to be honest, I felt empty surrounded by all that money. One day, I discovered that my father was supplying a well-known terrorist with bombs that were to be used in the assassination of our town's mayor. I was horrified and ran away from home. I couldn't call it my home anymore, not when I knew my parents were part of the black market."

"At least you knew your parents."

Aqua turned towards me in pity at my statement.

"You never knew your parents?"

I shook my head in response.

"I was orphaned at an early age, and spent most of my childhood living in the streets, struggling just to get food and shelter. My life was a struggle, and I was lucky just to reach my tenth birthday."

I didn't need to look at Aqua to know what she was piecing together right then. A wise man once said that the fertilizer of darkness is often applied early in life, and given what I've been through… it explained why the darkness in me was so powerful.

"I met Master Eraqus about a week after I turned ten. At the time, I never really understood why he chose me, out of everyone else I knew at the time, to inherit the keyblade, but now… I think… he wanted me to have it because… he sensed the dark power that was ready to take control."

That was the same day… I first met Aqua… she had been taken up as Eraqus' apprentice the day before, and the two of us immediately became friends. Four years later, Xehanort sent Ventus to train under his "friend" in order to forward his plan to acquire the Χ-Blade. It was because of them… that I could forget the hardships my early life forced unto me. But then… during the Mark of Mastery exam… the darkness from those days began to emerge, but I was stupid and dismissed it. I should have known… that that darkness… would spark everything that has happened since then… everything that occurred during the past eleven years. It is likely… that the Χ-Blade… would have dragged everything into Xehanort's iron grip.

But then there's her… Eraqus' niece…

"Aqua… I never got the chance to say this before… but I…"

I never got to finish that sentence. As it turned out, there were stronger Psychopaths guarding deeper sections of the castle to cover Ashura's tracks, and one chose that exact moment to break down the door in front of Aqua and I by using Sonic's body as a torpedo.

I groaned in annoyance, and then hastily summoned Ends of the Earth, while Aqua whipped out Stormfall.

The battles will only get harder from here…

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><p><strong>And with that, we have the conclusion of the first chapter to Book four of Keystone Chronicles. Oh, by the way, just so you guys know, the keybladers will all use the same weapons throughout the series. Here is a list of the keyblade wielders and the keyblades they utilize;<strong>

**Sora-Kingdom Key**

**Riku- Way to the Dawn**

**Kairi-Destiny's Embrace**

**Sonic-Winds of Freedom (Original of mine)**

**Shadow-Tragic Origins (Original of mine)**

**Silver/Virxels-Paradox #47 (original of mine)**

**Rouge-Hunter of Secrets (original of mine)**

**Tails-Flying Ace (Original of mine)**

**Knuckles-Emerald Keeper (Original design)**

**Amy-Thorny Mallet (Original keyblade)**

**Aaron-Iridium (O K)**

**Vector-Chaotix (Original Keyblade)**

**Naminé-Memorial Pen (original)**

**Roxas-Oathkeeper/Oblivion**

**Alan-Chu's Fury (OK)**

**Ash-Bonds of the Trainer (Gains Black Yin after first evolution, and White Yang after second evolution, all three are original)**

**Xehanort-Xehanort's Keyblade (Seriously, does ANYONE know that thing's name?)**

**Vanitas-Void Gear**

**Terra-Ends of the Earth**

**Aqua-Master Keeper (Switches to Stormfall after she leaves the Realm of Darkness)**

**Ventus-Wayward Wind**

**Ashura-Crystal Keyblade**

**Eraqus' niece (her name will be revealed when she makes her debut)-Unseeing Reaper (Obviously original)**

**Now, please review.**


	2. The Blind Death

**Welcome back to Keystone Chronicles! From here, we will pick up with Vanitas's POV. Now, let us begin, please.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**The Blind Death**

I should have seen it coming. Terra and Aqua linger behind for ten seconds, and the rest of us get ambushed by a swarm of Psychopaths. What those two were talking about, I don't know, nor do I care. What's important right now is staying alive for as long as possible.

After Sonic was forcefully punched by this extremely buff Psychopath-I think it's called an Asperger-thus breaking the doors off their hinges, Terra and Aqua became aware of the ambush and joined the fight. But I knew we were outnumbered, and in we kept going, fatigue would eventually catch up to us, and judicious pain will be served to us.

No sooner had I made that observation, a sudden wind picked up out of nowhere. In less than thirty seconds, it had gotten to the point where I couldn't see anything in the gale, and all I could hear was the slashing of a weapon through the Psychopaths that had ambushed us… at least I think that is what it was.

Almost as quickly as it had begun, it was over, and the sight we were met with was not of a hoard of Strokes and Aspergers, but of a young girl, about sixteen or seventeen, in this black tunic with gray cloth wrapped around her waist, white leggings leading to armored shoes, and light orange, fingerless gloves. In her hand, she was holding a medium length keyblade, with what reminded me of a scythe blade forming the shaft, and this skull that was missing its eye sockets forming the teeth. A closed eye was stamped at the base of the shaft, the hand-guards formed by halves of a black cloak. The chain was normal, with a tiny mirror as the token at the end. I was later informed that its name was Unseeing Reaper.

The first thing that went through my mind as I examined the young woman was that she HAS to be an extremely accomplished fighter to have been able to defeat such a large number of monsters in a short amount of time without any visibility. I also couldn't help but notice that she was… beautiful.

"Terra… Aqua…" She finally spoke up, knocking me out of my thoughts.

"Selena?" Aqua asked her. That must have been her name, as she instantly dismissed her keyblade, and turned to face the five of us. Her face was even more stunning, framed by her long, flowing ebony hair, pearly white teeth, and deep, ocean blue eyes. But the first thing I noticed was her pupils; her white, foggy pupils.

She's blind.

"It's been far too long, friends."

"Sonic, Sora, Vanitas, this is Selena Darkwood, Master Eraqus' niece," Terra introduced her. "She passed her Mark of Mastery exam during the eleven years following the journey, Aqua, Ven and I went on."

Selena Darkwood, huh? Darkwood… I like that name… Selena must be an incredibly skilled fighter if she's used to fighting opponents she can't see… my kind of girl…

Wait… What am I saying?

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I did not notice that Terra had introduced me, Sora, and his apprentice to the Blind Master.

"So… Vanitas…" Selena walked over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Your fur is so… soft… and the scent tells me that your fur is a strong midnight black…" She can tell what color my fur is by scent?

Say, is it getting hot in here?

"Uh…"

"No need to be shy, kitty. I'm not like my uncle. I have no reason to resent the darkness."

Man… she's suave… strong… agile… flexible… not to mention… beautiful…

"Say… I think I should go with you guys. Might be fun."

Wait, she's deciding to travel with us? Oh God, what should I say?

"Thanks, Selena," Aqua responded, releasing me from having to seal the connotation myself. "You're probably the best keyblade master I know… short of your uncle, anyway. I know Ven would be happy to see you again after eleven years."

She finally moved away from me, much to my relief and… disappointment, strangely… am I… falling for her?

"Well, lead the way, Aqua,"

At Selena's command, she and the other four wielders proceeded forward, while I just stood there like an idiot. Wow… what does she think of me?

"Oh, and Vanitas, you should probably move from that spot. You're standing directly under a loose brick."

"Wha…?"

I didn't finish as the supposed loose brick fell from its place, and I instinctively sidestepped it.

How did she…?

I hurriedly walked to catch up with the others. I watched Selena from behind… her smooth… silky haaaaaiiiiiiirrrrrrrrr… How can a single girl be so… perfect? She's blind, but has long ago overcome the lack of one sense by strengthening the other four… and learned how to detect even the slightest change in air currents, and can probably sense the vibrations of the molecules of her surroundings… she could most likely beat me to a pulp in battle… such intense beauty… she recognizes light and darkness as a balance…

… like Ventus and I…

Wow…...

GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, VANITAS! YOU CAN'T A PRETTY FACE DISTRACT YOU! REMEMER WHY YOU'RE HERE!

But… does she…

It doesn't matter. I do NOT give a DAMN about how Selena feels about me.

Do I?

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><p><strong>Oh, I don't know. Well… that is the conclusion of chapter 2 of Keystone Chronicles Book 4: The Fortress of Perpetual Sorrow. Yup, Selena Darkwood, Master Eraqus' niece, is the love intrest of Vanitas. I would love it if any of you who have a DeviantArt account would do a VanitasSelena couple pic… just saying. Now, submit any and all reviews, please.**


	3. Eggman and the Alethiometer

**And so, we have chapter number three of Keystone Chronicles Book four: The Fortress of Perpetual Sorrow. Here, we focus on Dr. Ivo Robotnik, AKA Dr. Eggman, whom I so cruelly changed into an Ottsel in the previous installment.**

_**Aren't I Evil?**_

**Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Eggman and the ****Alethiometer**

I can't trust Ashura, I know that. Tricking me into working for him, using the Heartless, acquiring the Crystal Madness, turning me into an anthropomorphic ottsel… he's a lunatic. I can NOT allow him to meet his goals…

…but I can't openly turn traitor on him, either. I'll have to ruin his plans behind the scenes… but how?

Ashura, Clockspine and I were deeper into the castle and, obviously, completely lost. Without Aqua, we'll be lucky to find the keystone this year. I lingered behind while the "hedgehogs" went on ahead, using the spare time to consider how I can sabotage Ashura's plans without totally letting on that I'm turning against him. While I was lost in my thoughts, I suddenly noticed this pouch of black velvet on the floor near my feet. Leaning down to pick it up, I removed its contents, revealing them to be something that resembled an oversized pocket watch, but with thirty-six unrelated symbols circling the rim, and six hands; three small ones and this long red one that seemed to move randomly around the thing.

Well, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell this thing is… taking out the handbook I had with me-_The Reluctant Minions Guide to the Worlds-_ I eventually identified as an alethiometer. I read the section the book had for the item;

_The alethiometer is a symbol reader featured in Philip Pullman's __His Dark Materials Trilogy,__ most prominently in the first and last books of the series. The alethiometer is used to measure truth; hence the prefix "alethio", from the Greek word "alethe", meaning "truth". The three short hands are used to ask the device a question, while the last hand gives the answer. Each symbol has a number of different meanings to it, so one can ask it pretty much anything, so long as they know how to read it. One of the most well-known readers of the alethiometer is Lyra Belecqua, one the trilogy's lead Lyra, certain characters in this Keystone Chronicles series can instinctively read the alethiometer, if they meet certain criteria (Ashura is not one of those characters, while Eggman is)._

Well, at least I know I can read this thing. I glanced at the face of the alethiometer again, and noticed that a question had already been asked… and it's answer… unbelievable.

I can't believe that… hey, I'm not going to tell you what the thing said, that would ruin the end of this installment. But, the other thing it said was that I should try to obtain a sample of Vanitas's fur, to use in a latter installment.

Something occurred to me just then… maybe I could use this to help stab Ashura in the back.

I hastily placed the alethiometer in my pocket and ran to catch up with the green hedgehog. I saw that he had this long list out, and was constantly crossing out names or circling others. I glanced over his shoulder at the list names. It was clearly a list of criminals he was planning to recruit. I read the name at the top of the list; Kefka Palazzo.

Kefka Palazzo? Isn't he that murder-happy jester who whipped out the population of an entire city by poisoning its water supply? This is NOT a good combination. I honestly wasn't looking forward to fighting alongside the main antagonist of Final Fantasy VI.

I read through the rest of the names. Most of them, I've never heard of. Others… I had no idea how they got on the list.

I mean, what did Yolanda Salivar do to get on this thing? Oh, yeah, she shot her employer. That'll do it, apparently.

Well… I guess the time will come soon enough.

I just have to wait for it.

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><p><strong>Sorry it's short. I guess Eggman's POV is just difficult to pull off. Anyway, please review.<strong>


	4. Tribal Invitation

**And so, we have the next chapter of Keystone Chronicles Book 4. This chapter will be told from Aaron's POV. Now, let's begin.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Tribal Invitation**

I grunted as I sliced the last Heartless in half with my newly-acquired keyblade. The shaft of the weapon was coated in a stream of colors, with the teeth formed by a yin-yang symbol with the colors of my eyes replacing the black-and-white colors of the normal symbol. The hand guards took the forms of blended crayon wax, melting into the chain supporting a color wheel token. The keyblade Iridium.

Disney Castle was almost always in danger of Heartless attack, now that it no longer had the protection of the Cornerstone of Light. Those of us who had stayed behind had to protect the citizens of the town from the living darkness, and since King Mickey is has one of the strongest hearts in existence… well…

On the plus side, all of us were getting perfect training with our keyblades.

On the minus side… little to no time to catch our breath.

I'm serious. The Heartless had been coming at us in waves. One after the other, non-stop. Next thing you know, they'll start popping up behind us saying "hello".

"Hello,"

I screamed in panic at the unexpected voice I heard right behind myself. I turned around quickly, Iridium held in a battle ready position. I was reasonably surprised when I saw the figure standing there.

It was a really short, sixteen- maybe seventeen- year-old boy with blonde hair he had tied into a short ponytail in the back. Emerging from his rear end was a golden, prehensile monkey tail. He had no shirt on, but wore leather gloves, green silk pants, and knee-length boots. Smack-dab in the middle of his chest was a Heartless insignia… but there were three things wrong with it;

It was green and white instead of red and black.

It was upside-down.

The cross was coated in feathers instead of spikes.

I could only stare at him in mild shock and confusion. He seemed to notice the look I was giving him.

"What?" he asked. His deep voice sounded way too cheerful for him to be a Heartless. "Never seen an I.H. before?"

"I.H.?" What the heck is an I.H.?

"Inverse Heartless," he elaborated. I still gave him a blank stare.

What the hell is an Inverse Heartless?

The boy sighed dejectedly.

"This is an I.H. in a nutshell; the same as a regular Heartless, but composed of living light instead of living Darkness."

Wha? Is that even possible? Why is this guy even here?

"Zidane,"

"Huh?"

"That's my name. Zidane Tribal."

"Aaron."

I couldn't help but wonder… why the heck is this guy here? I know he isn't here just to strike up pointless conversation. I watched Zidane pull an envelope from his pocket, and then hold it out in front of me.

"I was given instructions to deliver this to you."

I took the envelope from him, tore it open, and pulled out the letter inside. I slowly began to read it.

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><p><em>Dear Mr. Skyhart,<em>

_You have been randomly drafted to be the male common entre representing Mobius in the Tournament of Legends. This tournament, held once every fifty years, pits legendary warriors, good or evil, against one another to achieve ultimate glory. To provide extra competition, two remarkably skilled warriors, one male and one female, from each world are drafted into the competition as well._

_Here are the rules of the tournament;_

_You may choose to compete alone, or in a team of 2-4 warriors. However, the comrades you choose to fight alongside cannot be other draftees, and must be capable of following your orders._

_You may use any abilities you have at your disposal to achieve victory, but no underhand tactics._

_You win matches by forcing your opponent out of the assigned fighting area, or by bringing them to where they can no longer fight._

_You cannot kill your opponent._

_If you are capable of shape shifting, you cannot use vegetable or mineral forms. Only animal._

_Keyblade apprentices who make it into the semifinals are elevated to Master Status._

_You cannot tamper with rivals outside of combat._

_Remember these simple rules, and you should be fine. The winner of the tournament is given 350000000000 munny, and bragging rights for a full year._

_Mirage Arena Owner,_

_Laguna Loire._

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><p>Wait, WHAT!<p>

"You came all the way over here to tell me I was drafted into a tournament that I have little to no chance of winning!"

"Yup."

I could only stare at the Inverse Heartless in undeterred shock. I took another look at the letter, my eyes drifting mindlessly to that one line… if I make it to the semifinals…

I'd have shown the Mark of Mastery.

"I see you're starting to like the idea of competing in the tournament," I heard Zidane stated outright.

"I'm competing in the tournament as well. Might be fun to fight someone like you."

I ignored the I.H.'s comment. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of warriors would be competing in the tournament. I knew Sonic would be in the tournament, he's enough of a legend to be automatically drafted in. But there are things about other worlds that I simply can't fathom. Warriors with abilities more amazing than my Chaos Fantasy. Maybe a few weaklings who got unlucky. I can probably picture quite a bit of competitors getting disqualified in the first round because they had inadvertently killed their opponents.

Maybe I should visit this Mirage Arena, and see what I can learn about the other competitors in this tournament.

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><p><strong>Sorry, but I had supreme writer's block when wrapping up this chapter. The Tournament of Legends will be the subject of the next installment in the series. If you have any requesting regarding the characters who compete, please send them in reviews, or PM me. Now, please read and review.<strong>


	5. Uneasy Travels

**Well, this is the next chapter to Keystone Chronicles book 4: The Fortress of Perpetual Sorrow. Here, we return to Aqua's party as they move through Castle Oblivion. This chapter will be told from Sonic's POV, okay? Now, let us begin.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Uneasy Travels**

I was still amazed at the amount of security Master Aqua placed in this castle. The place was rigged with more booby traps than an Egyptian tomb, and the layout reminded me of that story about the woman whose husband made weapons he sold to soldiers, and she was afraid the ghosts of the people killed using those weapons would take their revenge on her, so she built this house with thousands of rooms, doors that opened to brick walls, and stairways that led up into the ceiling. This castle had those two confusion tools, and then some, most of which were probably made possible using magic; there was this one hallway that led to nowhere unless you walked through it backwards, some rooms that had you go "in-through-the-out-door", as it was put in that one episode of _"Wizards of Waverly Place"_ unless you walked through it in a specific path, and doors you had to open by holding your keyblade in a specific position.

This is probably why those members of Organization XIII created those World Cards while they had control of this place, so they wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense.

Throughout the journey, I couldn't help but notice that Vanitas was unusually quiet. He was mostly glancing at Selena through the corner of his eye, which led me to piece together that he has feelings for her. He just has yet to figure it out.

We finally made it to a small room on the tenth floor that looked like a servant's living quarters. This must have been either Terra's room or Ven's room back when this place was still the Land of Departure.

"I'm impressed, Aqua," Selena stated after all of us were inside. "You're creativity with the traps was almost on par with most freelance artists."

Aqua rubbed the back of her head modestly.

"Thanks Selena," she eventually let out. "Your uncle had warned me about the keystone here shortly before Terra and I took our Mark of Mastery exam… although at the time, I had no idea why it was so important, and-don't sit down there." There, she had noticed me about to take a seat on a chair in the corner of the room. At her command, I hastily stood back straight up, realizing it was most likely rigged to trigger a trap in the room.

"Anyway, it wasn't until now that I realized the reason for guarding that thing. I was still concerned about the importance of that stone eleven years ago, so when I redesigned the castle, I placed a few extra traps to ward off intruders who would want the stone, in addition to keeping Ven safe." I had to admire Aqua for her dedication to protect her friend. I couldn't help but notice Master Sora glance away in what looked to me like guilt. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but he's the teacher, and I'm the student. Regardless of the fact that we're both the same age, it's not my place to inquire in the affairs of his life. Besides, I'm sure he'll tell us when the time comes.

I took a quick glance at the others, taking note of their facial expressions. Aqua soon decided it was time to move on, and everyone filed out of the room. I trusted Aqua in regards to avoiding the traps, but I was starting to think she might have gone a little overboard with rigging the place. I didn't even dare to whistle, for fear of setting off some trap. So, we continued traveling through the hallways in silence. Until my cell phone, which the King had upgraded to allow inter-dimensional reception, started ringing, nearly scaring all of us half to death. A split second later, I realized it was just my cell phone, and in an irritated tug, pulled it out of my pocket. The caller-ID said it was Aaron calling.

"We're busy, Aaron," I said into the phone as calmly as I could, and then hung up. As I was placing my phone back in my pocket, Aaron contacted it again, this time with a text message. I opened the message, wondering what the heck Aaron wants to tell me so badly.

"_You're in the Tournament, Legend!"_

Tournament? What tournament? What the heck is he talking about? And why did he call me a legend?

Meh. I'll ask him about it later.

I was getting ready to put the phone away when Aaron texted me again. What, did he forget to tell me something in the last message?

"_P.S., so the others you're traveling with right now."_

I sighed in exasperation. Aqua noticed my irritation with Aaron, and walked over.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing. For whatever reason, Aaron seemed to want to tell me that you, me, Terra, Sora, Vanitas, and most likely Selena are all entered in some tournament."

"Probably the Tournament of Legends, held once every fifty years as an attempt at unifying the worlds."

The Tournament of Legends, huh? If I'm competing in this thing… huh, this might be fun.

However, first thing's first. We need to stop Ashura from getting the castle's keystone.

With that tournament nonsense out of the way, the six of us continued down the corridors of the castle, slowly approaching the room holding the stone. As we moved on, I noticed a strange emblem on one of the walls. It looked like this long, slender crystal with two feathers spiraling around it. I wonder what that's for.

Ah, well, that's for the end of this installment.

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><p><strong>I think I'll end it here for now. I'm sorry this ended up being one of my shorter chapters, but I'm fresh out of ideas. Well, any to shove into the middle of the fic, anyway. Just review, please.<strong>


	6. Friends and Fauxs

**Welcome to chapter 6 of Keystone Chronicles Book 4! Due to incisive writer's block, this may be the last chapter of this installment. But, enjoy the plot twist I put in there. This Chapter will be told from Aqua's POV. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Friends and Fauxs**

At long last, the six of us were standing in front of the doorway that led to the chamber of the keystone. With determination, I pushed open the doorway, and led the others inside. The room was about 35'x35', in the center of which stood a large, spherical stone holding an ominous skull inside it. The Death Stone. I could hear most of the others cringe at the sight of the stone… I couldn't blame them. Just being in its presence gave you the feeling that you were going to die in about five seconds.

I suddenly heard someone laughing maniacally behind us, and we all pivoted on our feet to see Ashura standing there, laughing his head off. Behind him stood Clockspine, and this anthropomorphic otter-weasel thing, wearing the same red jacket I remembered seeing on… that… bloated scientist…

Oh, dear lord. That would explain why he looked so uncomfortable.

I could see Sonic had come to the same conclusion I had… if the amused/horrified/pitying look on his face was anything to go by. I could only imagine exactly what was flowing through his head at this time.

"Hello, Aqua," Ashura stated absently. "Thanks for leading me to the keystone, you know?"

He's been following us? Why didn't any of us, even Selena, notice him? He must have some sort of cloaking magic at his disposal… probably gained from the power of darkness he absorbed from the last keystone.

"Sorry, buster," Sonic bravely challenged the green hedgehog. "You're not getting this keystone."

Ashura chuckled evilly… and continued to do so… still chuckling…

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><p><strong>Thirty minutes later<strong>

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><p>Ashura is still laughing his head off…<p>

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><p><strong>Six hours later<strong>

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><p>How long can that hog laugh for?<p>

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><p><strong>One day later<strong>

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><p>"Can someone shut him up? I'm fresh out of time banners," Vanitas stated, lowering the banner signaling that time had passed to the next day to the readers. Sonic, getting the message, charged at the laughing lunatic. Noticing the attack coming at him, Ashura finally stopped laughing, and blocked Sonic's attack with his Crystal Keyblade.<p>

"Hmph. Impatient bastard," Ashura insulted him. "Ivo, you handle him."

I watched Dr. Eggman calmly walk forward; preparing to face his arch-enemy in hand-to-hand combat for what was probably the first time ever. Sonic looked the doctor's new body up and down, obviously expecting Eggman to have some positive effect of his forced transformation. Terra, Vanitas, and Selena all entered a battle stance against Clockspine, leaving me and Sora to handle Ashura.

I sent a Thundaga Shot at Ashura, rushing in after it to catch the green and black hedgehog off-guard with the sudden transition of ranges. Sora charged him as well, attacking with rapid slashes from the Kingdom Key. The hog sidestepped my spell, but was hit by Sora's initial attack, which I followed up on. All of my attacks hit Ashura dead on… If the beating I gave him in the Realm of Darkness didn't teach him not to voice his sexist thoughts, nothing will.

Before I could fire another spell at him, I heard this sickening crash reverberate throughout the room. I turned towards the sound to see Sonic, Terra, and Vanitas, lying past this hole in the wall that wasn't there before. The three were unconscious, likely knocked out by blunt force trauma. Eggman had his right hand in a fist, apparently surprised at his newfound superhuman strength. Clockspine was holding Selena captive, restraining her so that she can't swing her keyblade.

This momentary distraction was all Ashura needed. Sending this magic chain of light from his keyblade, he bound Sora in the chains, but I was able to cartwheel out of the way… right into the doctor's waiting trap. Ashura chuckled at his fourth victory, and slowly walked over to the keystone, once more levitating to its level, positioning the Crystal Keyblade for the reabsobtion.

"NO!"

My cry of protest went unheard as Ashura's keyblade shot the ray of light at the Keystone of Death. The crazed grin on his face chilled me to the bone. However, it was around then that something bizarre happened. The keystone suddenly cracked.

"What?"

"Huh?"

After Ashura and Eggman's respective voices of confusion, the crack on the keystone began to spread, eventually encompassing the entire stone. Then, it suddenly exploded into confetti and fireworks, knocking Ashura back to the ground, his keyblade remaining unchanged. I didn't understand what happened… and judging from the other's facial expressions, neither did they. I noticed this single piece of paper drifting around the room until Ashura finally grabbed it. He glanced at it for thirty seconds, making me feel uneasy. He then read the message on the slip aloud;

"Gotchya!"

Ashura's face slipped into an enraged expression, realizing that the keystone hidden here was a fake the original master most likely created to throw of hunters of the stones. It occurred to me that Master Eraqus probably didn't know that the keystone here wasn't authentic… if he knew, he might have told me. I heard moans of pain as the other three started coming to, and took notice of Ashura's temper tantrum. He screamed so loudly I was surprised I could still hear after that.

"I WASTED ALL THAT TIME WANDERING AIMLESSLY AROUND THIS #$%&* CASTLE FOR A FAKE KEYSTONE!" Ashura screamed to high heaven. "THIS IS THE DUMBEST POSSIBLE THING THE AUTHOR COULD HAVE COME UP WITH! IF I COULD, I'D HEAD OVER TO HIS PLACE AND KILL HIM IN HIS SLEEP! IVO! CLOCKSPINE! WE'RE LEAVING!" here, he opened a dark corridor to exit through. "We'll get these wielders back during the tournament."

Wait, he's competing in the Tournament of Legends? I shrugged off the thought as Eggman released me, and made a mad dash for the corridor, Clockspine and Ashura following behind him. Terra and Sonic helped me undo the chains binding Sora, while Vanitas went to check on Selena. Get a room, loverboy.

"Well… the keystone here was phony, huh?" Sonic asked rhetorically. "Guess we all just wasted our time coming here."

"Well… at least it's not a total loss," I said, remembering that Ven was still here… waiting to be awakened.

"What do you mean?" Vanitas asked, him and Selena finally joining the conversation. I signaled for everyone to follow me, and I led them to the wall that bore the mark of the Wayward Wind's keychain. Summoning Stormfall, I tapped the mark three times with the teeth of my keyblade, which opened the door to the Chamber of Awakening. The six of us walked inside, but Terra, Sora, Vanitas and I had our attention glued to the throne in the middle of the room, where Ven's vacant body still laid, slumped forward like a discard doll.

"Ven…" I heard Sora mutter under his breath. "You've been with me for so long… given me so much… I have no way to fully express my gratitude." As he said that, he conjured his keyblade, and brought the tip of it to his chest. As he pulled it away from him, I could see a small orb of light leave his chest.

"The time has come that I should return the favor. Return to you, what you have given to me. Release the prisoner. Awaken." He held the ball of light towards Ven, and let it slide out of his hand, towards the sleeping friend. I watched the orb enter Ven's body… and then I heard him moan, his eyes starting to flutter open. My breath hitched, barely believing what I saw. I watched Ven look me straight in the eye.

"Aqua…" he moaned. I couldn't hold it anymore, and Terra and I tackled him into a group hug. It was too good to be real… the three of us are finally together again. Sonic, Sora, and Selena all laughed at us. Vanitas just smiled, apparently happy for his light half. Ven eventually managed to squirm out of our grip and met eyes with Sora… the one who kept his heart safe for eleven years.

"Sora… Thank you. For everything." Ven held his hand out to the young Master.

"You're welcome." Sora shook Ven's outstretched hand, establishing the link between them as friends.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you liked this. Well, that's it for book four, but don't worry, as soon as some of my other stories are finished, Book 5 will be posted. Anyway, Read, Review, vote on my poll.<strong>


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